Video Game Music
Ongoing coverage on Video Game Music.
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The best and worst Nintendo music of all time
This article ranks Nintendo video game music, highlighting both the best and worst soundtracks. Games like Xenoblade Chronicles, Yoshi's Woolly World, and Paper Mario: The Origami King are praised for their excellent music, while Yoshi's New Island and Metroid 2: Return of Samus are criticized for grating or uncreative compositions. Animal Crossing: New Horizons receives mixed reviews, with its hourly themes being a point of contention.
Evening Reading - October 9, 2026
This week's gaming news roundup includes updates on Dead by Daylight, Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, Gears of War: E-Day, and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. There are also previews for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's DMZ mode and Armatus, alongside news about Bungie's Marathon and Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls. The article also touches on video game maps, download deals, and speedrunning events.
MMO Jukebox Song of the Week: ‘Give It Your Pest Shot’ from RuneScape
This article highlights 'Give It Your Pest Shot,' a track from the RuneScape soundtrack, as the MMO Jukebox Song of the Week. It praises RuneScape's expansive and diverse OST, noting its memorable music and often pun-filled track titles.
'Dylan is an involuntary hero, although he chooses to become one, he just doesn’t know it in the beginning' — Control Resonant composer explains the design process for Dylan's theme song, revealing his track 'is essentially Jesse's theme backwards'
Control Resonant composer Petri Alanko discussed the creation of Dylan's theme song, explaining it is Jesse's theme played backwards but with a focus on growth and seeking permission for existence. Alanko detailed how Dylan's music represents his journey from an involuntary hero to a chosen one, contrasting with Jesse's more grounded power theme. The interview also touched upon the 'Sibling Theme' and the end credits track 'The One I Once Knew' featuring Amelia Jones.
Final Fantasy 7 composer explains why he made its music “boring” compared to prior games
Final Fantasy 7 composer Nobuo Uematsu explained that he intentionally made the game's music less catchy compared to previous titles to avoid distracting from the visuals and gameplay. He believes his music was more prominent in earlier NES and SNES entries, but in Final Fantasy 7, the visuals became strong enough to carry the narrative, allowing the music to take a supporting role.
Final Fantasy 7's beloved soundtrack is mostly "boring" compared to JRPGs like Final Fantasy 6, legendary composer Nobuo Uematsu says, but that was done on purpose
Legendary composer Nobuo Uematsu believes that most of Final Fantasy 7's soundtrack is "boring" compared to earlier entries like Final Fantasy 6. He explains that the music was intentionally designed to be less catchy to avoid distracting from the game's improved visuals and storytelling, a departure from his approach on the Famicom and Super Famicom.
'With Remedy, it’s about philosophy and the emotional layer' — Control Resonant composer says to create Remedy's atmospheric music, he records sounds on a 'daily basis' that he'll later manipulate into harmonies: 'The weirder, the better'
Control Resonant composer Petri Alanko discusses his unique approach to creating atmospheric music for Remedy Entertainment games, often using unconventional sounds captured daily. He emphasizes that the weirder the source material, the better the outcome, and relies heavily on intuition and emotional connection rather than a strict audio bible.
Onyx: The Dark Grip Composer Focused on “Evoking a Sense of Unease” But “With Elements of Hope”
Composer Jan Borysewicz discussed his approach to the music for Bloober Team's upcoming game, Onyx: The Dark Grip, aiming to evoke unease with elements of hope rather than pure horror. He believes the score would fit well in a feature film, and Bloober Team CEO Piotr Babieno expressed excitement about the collaboration. The game is set to launch in 2027 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2.
What does your dream videogame concert look like?
The author discusses the rise of video game concerts and shares their ideal dream concert lineup, featuring music from various Final Fantasy titles, Kingdom Hearts, Kameo: Elements of Power, and Tekken remixes. They express a desire for more live orchestral performances of game soundtracks.
Control Resonant composer says it's his duty to 'represent the story,' but sometimes offers it 'in a different light, as contradicting the on-screen events can be really delicious'
Control composer Petri Alanko discusses his role in crafting the game's musical score, viewing it as an "emotional vessel" that represents the story. He emphasizes the importance of the music existing independently while also serving the narrative, sometimes by offering a light that contradicts on-screen events for dramatic effect. Control is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Control Resonant composer says his inspiration comes from concept art, which brings forth 'melodies' and 'a feeling' — 'That feeling combined with the ability to 'hear' pictures - synesthesia, to be exact - are my go-to tools at the ground zero point'
Control Resonant composer Petri Alanko discussed his unique creative process, which heavily involves synesthesia allowing him to 'hear' music from concept art. He praised Remedy Entertainment's transparency culture and detailed how visual inspiration leads to melodies and feelings for the game's soundtrack. Control Resonant is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Exclusive: Listen to Control Resonant's 'Sibling Theme', a track that its composer says 'soothes and comforts' Dylan and Jesse's 'dented childhood memories'
Remedy Entertainment has released 'Sibling Theme' from the Control Resonant soundtrack, composed by Petri Alanko. The track aims to evoke the bond between Jesse and Dylan, with Alanko describing it as a comforting representation of their childhood memories. Control Resonant is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Yes, Guile’s Street Fighter Movie Theme Goes With Everything
The upcoming Street Fighter movie is set to feature an updated version of Guile's iconic theme song from Street Fighter II, composed by Yoko Shimomura. The score, produced by Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson, aims to capture the essence of the original while adding cinematic flair. The movie, starring Cody Rhodes as Guile, releases on October 16.
You can now watch one of this year's best orchestral game-music performances, celebrating Hades 1 and 2, online for free
The "Ballads of the Underworld" orchestral concert celebrating music from Supergiant Games' Hades and Hades II is now available to watch online for free. The performance features the London Mozart Players conducted by Hades co-composer Austin Wintory, with vocals from game actors and composers.
Interview: The String Revolution discuss Billie Eilish and Plants vs. Zombies mashup “Bad Zombies" — MP3s & NPCs
The String Revolution discusses their unique mashup of Billie Eilish's "bad guy" and "Crazy Dave's Theme" from EA's Plants vs. Zombies, titled "Bad Zombies." The idea originated from EA Games Music President Steve Schnur, and the project involved collaboration with cellist Tina Guo.
"Having a hand in the game etches you in history": How Grand Theft Auto became a musical tastemaker
Rockstar Games has established itself as a significant musical tastemaker through the Grand Theft Auto franchise, influencing popular music trends and introducing new artists to a global audience. The trailers for Grand Theft Auto VI, featuring songs by Tom Petty and The Pointer Sisters, significantly boosted streams for these artists, demonstrating the franchise's cultural impact. While the games have been praised for their curated soundtracks, there have been controversies regarding music licensing fees offered to artists.
I'm loving WoW: Forever, but I can't help but miss the music of my other beloved MMO
The author expresses enjoyment for World of Warcraft: Forever's old-school feel but finds the game's sparse use of music jarring compared to Final Fantasy 14. While appreciating WoW's ambient sound design, they miss the constant, themed musical scores present in FFXIV, particularly those composed by Masayoshi Soken.
Evening Reading - September 25, 2026
This week's gaming news roundup includes reviews for Ace Combat 8: Wings of the Hawk and Fareidolia, updates on Hell is Us and Dawngazer, and details on Hearthstone card reveals and Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero. The article also highlights new Shackmaps content, weekend download deals, and a live performance celebrating Hades II's anniversary.
GTA 6 Is Taking Over Miami, One Airlifted Letter At A Time
Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive are launching an extensive marketing campaign for Grand Theft Auto 6 in Miami, featuring large "Welcome to Vice City" letters installed at the Kaseya Center. The campaign includes a 34-song album and has generated some local criticism regarding its cost and perceived glorification of crime.
WarioWare: Move It! added to Nintendo Music
Nintendo Music has added over 3 hours of music from the Nintendo Switch title WarioWare: Move It! The update includes 576 tracks organized into playlists for Microgames and Bonus Games, along with the Extended-Playback Collection.